Yeah, I've got the same problem. A little 2nd gear crunch especially when it's cold. Fixed twice under warranty. Still grinds. I was told that there are these little nylon pieces that become damaged or fall off that causes the problem. Sounds like a design flaw.

First to Second grinder did not at first when I drove it THEN my son drove it two months man does it grind now I have a spare I will see if It gives me problems My apoligies if I am talking about the wrong model tranny 1997 gt Dealer made same excuse I did try synthetic Now this will sound truly stupid it I filled as much as possible could be ford is right or wrong on level

The problem might be too much fluid

I changed the clutch thinking rear main could leak making slippage on the clutch
I want to rebuild mine does any one have a dvd for my year with updating the synchros etc and maybe tools how to.
Thank you everyone I appreciate your patience

The latest TR-3650 fill spec is 3.17 qt of non-synth Mercon ATF. The Tr-3650 in my Stang is pretty smooth for a remote mounted shifter. My only complaint is that it's easy to miss 3rd gear, and the downshifting can be a bit notchy/tricky.

I'm having problems when I try to go from second into first, I have to come to a complete stop drop into second then put into first.

Click to expand...

I don't know of many instances where I would have to do that unless it's a tight corner on a road course. In that situation, I'd recommend rev matching. FWIW, you can take off in 2nd gear without any problems. I never downshift into 1st gear on the street unless I am completely stopped or coming to a full stop. If the car is moving, the lowest gear I want is 2nd gear. The owner's manual says not to downshift into 1st gear above 15 mph to prevent damage to the clutch.

I had the 1st to 2nd gear grind when the tranny was cold, recently I installed the MGW shifter and it went away. I noticed if you shift quickly with the stock shifter, the grind will sometimes not happen, I guess the MGW shifter eliminates this problem. I love this new shifter!! BTW, I have a 2001 Bullitt, with the 3650 transmission.

I have an 02 GT with 47,000 kms. I just bought it last week and noticed the shifting was a bit notchy for the 1-2 and 2-3 shift. So I took it to ford and had them change the fluid to the correct type and correct fill level. NO MORE NOTCHINESS!

Try the fluid change first, as its the least expensive option and seems to work for alot of people.

Ford told me for them to perform the TSB an inspector from ford had to come and verify the problem I stated. That is what the tranny tech told me. I think that is BS. If i have a warranty and I say there is a problem they should have to take my word for it and fix the goddam thing, not me paying out of pocket to get the fluid changed to the PROPER spec first. At least now I have some ammo if this thing does it again. Yea I had a warranty and YOUR dealership made me pay for a fluid change to the proper spec agreed on by ford and tremec. COMPLETE BS. I wanted to slap the service manager I was so ****ed, but needless to say I shelled out 75$ in the end.

Funniest thing is the service manager goes, "It shouldnt matter how much oil is in there". So i said why not just fill up every engine or anything that needs oil with 10 liters if it doesnt matter. He just gave me this look like he knew that he was taking the lil yellow bus home. Right then and there I knew the service manager didnt know his ass from a piston.

Case in point Ford warranty service sucks major balls, People buy extended warrantys and pay good $$ for them too, for peace of mind if anything goes wrong. Not to be jerked around by ford and ass****ed and being told OOoOOooo Im a moron and i cant replicate your problem. The tranny tech even got my steering wheel all greasy and couldnt even drive standard. I am so ****ed right now that i think about it, I feel like going back in there and making them reimburse me for the money I had to pay to have my fluid level and type changed to what the TSB stated. Since there was no way they were gonna do the TSB.

sorry for the rant, ford just ****es me off. I will own a mustang as long as I live. Ford needs to step up and quit being a bunch of A$$es to the people that keep that company alive.

Dont mean to burst your bubble, but the design flaw is in the transmission, changing to every different type of fluid in the world makes no difference. (I have a '02 GT)

I cant wait till the fall when it gets colder again, and the problem becomes really noticeable and IMPOSSIBLE to overlook. Im going to park my car at ford overnight and let them drive it for the first shift of the day. Im going to bring a camcorder and film the shifter as he shifts so I have my proof on tape, and if I have to get a lawyer to make them move along, I will.

BTW I have a 100,000km premium care extended warranty, and they were giving me trouble about wanting the TSB performed, saying Ford will have to send out on of their techs from head office or some **** to verify my problem. Needless to say I had the fluid changed myself and paid out of pocket becuase they wouldnt do it. The fluid change made no difference what-so-ever except make my bank book 80$ less. What the **** good is an extended warranty that I paid good $$ for if they make you jump through hoops and rings of fire before anything is done.

Any suggestions for someone in my position whose car does EXACTLY as the TSB states? My car has 54000 KM on it. Warranty covers it until 100,000/August 2009. Im seriously thinking of getting a lawyer involved. Maybe if the dealership sees that they will realize that im serious and not dickin' around anymore.

2002 mustang GT 5-speed, 43k. I recently took my car in to have the transmission looked at because of a grinding into 3rd gear at mid to high rpm when the car is warmed up. They told me there was a technical service bulletin out for this problem and the proceeded to replace the synchros, forks and some other parts that escape my memory right now. I got the vehicle back and its still doing pretty much the same thing. The dealer told me there would be a 400 mile break in period but i didnt think the grinding would reoccur. Its like when its cold the gate is working well to stop me from going into third until the synchros readjust the speed. But when it warms up it feels like there are no synchros at all just goes right into third with a grind. Should I try a diff. tranny fluid, i've read that works miracles for others, synchromesh maybe? Or is it a clutch problem? The clutch can be fully depressed for approx. 5 seconds and it will still grind but only in third gear.

My 2001 GT Convertible had this 2nd gear grind so I replaced the shifter with a Steeda short throw shifter and this gave the shifting a solid feel and the grinding was a little less noticeable but still there. A few more problems with the car started showing so I replaced the whole car for a 2007 GT Coupe and have yet to look back. I hate the shifter in this car also, so I have a Hurst short throw ordered for it. The problem is a flaw in Ford's design of the stock shifter, without having stop bolts for the shifter lever the aggressive shifting is hyper-extending the shift forks in the transmission and that causes undue wear on the syncros then you get your grinding.

Founding Member

2002 mustang GT 5-speed, 43k. I recently took my car in to have the transmission looked at because of a grinding into 3rd gear at mid to high rpm when the car is warmed up. They told me there was a technical service bulletin out for this problem and the proceeded to replace the synchros, forks and some other parts that escape my memory right now. I got the vehicle back and its still doing pretty much the same thing. The dealer told me there would be a 400 mile break in period but i didnt think the grinding would reoccur. Its like when its cold the gate is working well to stop me from going into third until the synchros readjust the speed. But when it warms up it feels like there are no synchros at all just goes right into third with a grind. Should I try a diff. tranny fluid, i've read that works miracles for others, synchromesh maybe? Or is it a clutch problem? The clutch can be fully depressed for approx. 5 seconds and it will still grind but only in third gear.

Click to expand...

Originally I thought it was a clutch thing... no such luck. I went through the TSB B.S. too but little change! It's a crappy tranny. Fifth gear is really tall as well, especially for California with all the hills, etc. If only I could get my hands on a '01-'02 with the lower ratio fifth, I might even put up with the grind... well maybe not...
Strangely, when I go from first to third directly then immediately down to second, it does not grind, smooth as silk.
Royal purple tranny fluid did not help either.